Baseball head coach Mike Bianco yells to the team in a game last season. DM File Photo.
With the 2015 season starting Friday, Ole Miss baseball head coach Mike Bianco met with the media Monday to discuss and preview the upcoming 2015 campaign.
The 2014 season was the most successful in the program’s history. The Rebels won the SEC West division with a 47-19 overall record, going 19-11 in conference play. They defeated Jacksonville State, Washington and number one seed Louisiana-Lafayette in the NCAA tournament to reach the College World Series for the first time since 1972. The Rebels made the final four but lost to Virginia twice, which knocked them out of the CWS.
The Rebels are ranked 18th in the preseason USA Today poll following a very successful 2014 campaign. There is a lot to look forward to this season, and Bianco is looking forward to getting started, as expected.
“Like every year for our club, we are excited. It seems like a long time for us,” Bianco said. “We have been out on the field since late August practicing, playing intrasquad games and playing ourselves. We are ready to play someone in a different uniform. I know the guys on the team are excited, as I am.”
One big change from last year to this year is the addition of Mike Clement as the new hitting coach after the departure of Cliff Godwin, who took the head coaching job at East Carolina. Bianco called Clement a great coach, teacher and recruiter.
A lot of familiar faces return to the lineup from the CWS team of 2014, including senior first baseman Sikes Orvis, sophomore shortstop Errol Robinson, sophomore outfielder J.B. Woodman, senior catcher Austin Knight and sophomore infielder Colby Bortles.
There are also a lot of new faces that will be playing big roles on this year’s team, and Bianco is looking forward to the mix of veterans and new guys on the team.
“When I look around, I see a lot of good things,” Bianco said. “I am also excited to see some of the new guys step up out on the field for the first time and contribute. I am also excited to see some of the returners play themselves into some bigger roles for us.”
One of the bigger roles includes Colby Bortles, who makes the move from the outfield to starting at third base this season. Bianco touched on the move for Bortles and what to expect from him in the middle of the lineup.
“He has been terrific. Colby has really handled it well during the fall and early spring,” Bianco said. “Colby is a guy that is much like you saw at the end of the season. I really believe he is going to be a force in the middle of the lineup.”
The biggest addition to the lineup this season will be freshman Tate Blackman, who is slated to start at second base for the Rebels on opening day. The D1 Baseball Preseason SEC freshman of the year and Altamonte, Florida native will play alongside sophomore shortstop Errol Robinson, joining a talented infield including Orvis and Bortles. Bianco talked of the potential that Blackman has.
“We saw a kid that didn’t play like a freshman, not just with his ability but the way he carries himself,” Bianco said. “Tate looks like the guy that is most ready to play. He is an outstanding hitter, runs well and is a good defender.”
The Rebels return two starting pitchers to an already strong pitching staff including junior Christian Trent and senior Sam Smith. Sophomore Brady Bramlett will be the third starting pitcher in the rotation in the series this weekend. Bramlett appeared in eight games in 2013 and missed the entire 2014 season with a season-ending labrum injury.
Bramlett returns fully healthy this season, and Bianco has high expectations for the sophomore.
“Brady had a really good fall. Once we got back, his three starts were probably better than any of the starters,” Bianco said. “He was pretty spotless here this January and early February. We are excited. He is a guy that when we recruited him a couple of years ago, we knew would have a big time fastball. His sliders keep coming and he has improved his change-up. We really think he is going to have a big year.”
Bianco touched on some of the players the program has lost from last year’s team, including catcher Will Allen and infielders Austin Anderson and Austin Bousfield. Bianco is high on his younger and had some strong words for the group that have big shoes to fill.
“We are going to need some of the young guys like Tate Blackman and (Kyle) Watson to step up and have great years like J.B. and Errol did,” Bianco said. “We need them to contribute and have big roles like the younger guys last year.”
